Scientific experts worldwide agree that at least half of all cancers and cancer-related deaths are preventable. In 2012, two million deaths globally were attributed to cancer according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Preventing half of those deaths is an excellent place to start.
Cancer is the single name assigned to more than 100 diseases. Though cancer was once referred to as a “wasting disease,” it’s actually the result of abnormal cells that multiply and spread out of control, damaging healthy cells along the way. Most cancers result in tumors but those that affect the blood do not. Cancer can occur in any part of your body.
Environmental factors can increase your risk of cancer. The air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat are all important. More than 90% of all lung cancer cases are caused by smoking and 22% of all cancer deaths are due to lung cancer resulting from smoking. Tobacco product use is the most preventable cause of cancer worldwide. Survival rates for lung cancer are less than 20% and if you’re a smoker who’s exposed to inhaled toxins where you work, your chance of survival drops to just over 3%. It’s the carcinogenic chemicals used in the process of manufacturing tobacco products that cause cancer – not the tobacco itself. A single cigarette contains 69 known cancer-causing carcinogens and over 4,000 chemicals. Someone dies from lung cancer every 30 seconds around the world... about the time it took you to read this para.
Pollution, heavy metal toxicity, and even personal care and household cleaning products can damage the cells in your body. Your home and workplace are the two places you spend the majority of your time. Evaluating (and then reducing) the possible toxins you’re exposed to on a daily basis is a strong step to cancer prevention.
More than 90% of all lung cancer cases are caused by smoking and 22% of all cancer deaths are due to lung cancer resulting from smoking. Tobacco product use is the most preventable cause of cancer worldwide. Survival rates for lung cancer are less than 20% and if you’re a smoker who’s exposed to inhaled toxins where you work, your chance of survival drops to just over 3%. It’s the carcinogenic chemicals used in the process of manufacturing tobacco products that cause cancer – not the tobacco itself. A single cigarette contains 69 known cancer-causing carcinogens and over 4,000 chemicals. Someone dies from lung cancer every 30 seconds around the world... about the time it took you to read this paragraph.
Globally, one in every eight deaths is caused by cancer. A painful cancer fact is that this disease causes more deaths than malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS combined. Approximately 70% of cancer deaths occur to those of low and middle incomes. In the United States, cancer is listed as the cause in close to 1/4 of all deaths and is the leading cause of death in people aged 45-64 according to the CDC. Currently, there are about 33 million cancer survivors around the world (within 5 years of diagnosis).